Press Release

In conjunction with Earth Day, Shangri-La’s Sanya Resort & Spa, Hainan has launched various promotions at its food and beverage outlets by offering sustainable and locally sourced items on the menu in support of Shangri-La group’s “Rooted in Nature” project, which aims to take ecological and environmental sustainability to a brand-new level. The focus of the project is to get guests involved in their food and to offer them locally sourced options 365 days a year.

To offer guests healthy and organic food and drinks, the resort’s chefs and Purchasing Department colleagues visited some local farms and carefully selected partners. The resort’s main partner for sourcing locally grown vegetables is Hui Lv farm located just 20 kilometres from the resort. On Earth Day, the resort also opened its own organic garden and welcomed a local experienced farmer to the team to specifically oversee the garden. Shang Garden covers 640 square metres and offers 16 varieties of herbs and vegetables. Guests will also have a tailor-made experience that will allow them to explore the garden and use the ingredients during cooking classes.

Executive Sous Chef Carl Chen, a Hainan native, has made it his mission to source the local fruits, vegetables and seafood readily available on Hainan Island. Chef Chen has also engaged local breeders to supply the resort free-range poultry, beef and pork. He hopes that the more guests are informed on where their food is sourced, the more they will be able to fully enjoy the authenticity of the cuisine the resort offers.

Guests will find a variety of “Rooted in Nature” dishes at Chuyi Wutai’s breakfast buffet. Some of the daily highlights on the buffet include a daily fresh juice made from local vegetables and fruits, hand-pulled spinach noodles in a beef noodle soup and locally sourced eggs at the omelette station. Lunch and dinner guests are welcome to order a variety of clay pot dishes, which are rich in protein and made from locally sourced vegetables.

The resort’s two speciality restaurants, Kon Tiki and S.E.A., will also permanently offer a wide selection of “Rooted in Nature Dishes” on the menu. Signatures dishes include Singaporean Chilli Crab, Steamed Scallops with Garlic and Vermicelli, and Fresh Fish with Island Spices and Banana Soufflé.

Shangri-La’s “Rooted in Nature” initiative is part of the group’s long-term sustainability commitment. At a time when most hotels and restaurants have Earth Day “stunts”, Shangri-La offers a promotion deeply connected to the hotel’s ongoing corporate social responsibility efforts and food and beverage expertise. Shangri-La aims to be a leader in sustainable dining with a commitment to the Earth that goes beyond one day.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts remains committed to operating in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner whilst balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders. In striving to be a leader in corporate citizenship and sustainable development, a corporate-level CSR Committee drives the company’s initiatives in the strategic areas of stakeholder relations, environment, health and safety, supply chain and employees. These focus areas are unified under the umbrella brand of “Sustainability”, together with Shangri-La’s core CSR projects “Embrace” and “Sanctuary”. Hotel-level Embrace programmes focus on Shangri-La’s Caring People Project, which aims to promote the highest level of education and health support in underprivileged communities. Sanctuary programmes concentrate on Shangri-La’s Care for Nature Project, which promotes the conservation and restoration of biodiversity. For more information, please visit the group’s CSR section on www.shangri-la.com.